1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for forming a strongly adherent layer of electroless metal on a glass or ceramic substrate and the objects made thereby.
2. Background
Electroless plating, a term coined by its inventor Brenner, covers processes in which a metal compound is reduced to the metallic state by means of a chemical reducing agent in the solution thereby depositing a metal film on an appropriate surface. One problem in electroless plating is finding suitable methods for treating the surface to be plated to make it catalytic for deposition of metal from the plating bath. One solution is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,343 which uses colloidal palladium/tin ions. Another problem is to provide a surface treatment which results in a strongly adherent metallic film. U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,693, for example, provides a special electroless plating composition to produce strongly adherent layers of metal on resinous bodies.